VW ID.4 - Electrified CUV - $40k starting.

[pezzy84]

ID.4 on Car and Driver

Cliffs notes:

- Exterior slightly smaller than Tiguan but interior same size due to better packaging thanks to electric drivetrain.
- No Tesla style frunk. If some articles are accurate VW opted to shift the firewall forward for more passenger space and reserve the "engine bay" for HVAC components and the motor for AWD models.
- RWD to start, AWD available mid-late 2021.
- RWD 201 HP/214 lb/ft torque. AWD - only thing I have seen is 301 HP (no torque figures) but have not dug in to far.
- 250 mile range
- $39,995 starting price, cheaper $35k model with smaller battery coming at a later date.
- Chattanooga, TN factory will start producing at a later date.
- 3 years free charging at Electrify America stations
- 10 minutes for ~60 miles of range at DC fast charger (125 KW). ~38 minutes for a 80% charge or ~200 miles at DC fast charger.

I am actually highly intrigued, once the federal tax credit is taken into account the $35k model drops to $27.5k. Bet there will be some decent lease specials on these. Might start taking a look in 2022-2023 once production is up to speed, cheaper shorter range model is available and battery warranty on my E-Golf is coming to a close.

 

[gregk24]

I will be sad if they do end up going all electric. I want to hold on to my ICE's as long as possible. It is an interesting car at a fair price point though.

 

[dareo]

My guess is they run out of 7500 federal credits before the $35k model comes out. Model Y is worth it over this, imo.

 

[JHZR2]

It the biggest fan of styling, but not a fan of styling on most ev.... hope it does well.

 

[wdn]

Are there as many “Electrify America” station in the United States as there are Volkswagen dealers? No. Only about half as many. There are only around 400 stations in the whole country, or 8 per state. Figure states like California have a disproportionate amount of them.

 

[DaRider34]

It the biggest fan of styling, but not a fan of styling on most ev.... hope it does well.

Yep styling looks bland inside and out. If you took away the plastic cladding would you call this a 4 door hatch or a station wagon.

 

[dareo]

Yep styling looks bland inside and out. If you took away the plastic cladding would you call this a 4 door hatch or a station wagon.

Its 2020, everything has to have stupid plastic cladding on it!

 

[UncleDave]

In addition to there not being many E/A stations - a good number of the ones that exist are at dealerships, wal-marts targets and retail outlets.

Meaning a road trip in one of these cars likely includes an excursion into town at the moment.

Superchargers in addition to being at retail places are also roadside some with lounges, lobbies, wifi - like a first class lounge at an airport.

The ID4 is already behind the curve before it hits the road, and Im skeptical of all of VW's claims because they missed every prior range efficiency and charging claim.

 

[RooflessVW]

I dropped my $100. Been itching to go electric.

We'll see.

 

[OVERKILL]

In addition to there not being many E/A stations - a good number of the ones that exist are at dealerships, wal-marts targets and retail outlets.

Meaning a road trip in one of these cars likely includes an excursion into town at the moment.

Superchargers in addition to being at retail places are also roadside some with lounges, lobbies, wifi - like a first class lounge at an airport.

The ID4 is already behind the curve before it hits the road, and Im skeptical of all of VW's claims because they missed every prior range efficiency and charging claim so far.

This is true. My e-tron had "free charging" but that involved going to the dealer. If I was charging anywhere but home I had to pay (and of course it wasn't free at home but it was a LOT cheaper). Not a HUGE issue, but definitely not as convenient as the free and extensive charge network Tesla has.

 

[JeffKeryk]

FYI, the Tesla charging network is not free. It was for the big cars, then they stopped. Sometimes it is.
Also, just because there is a bank of chargers nearby, doesn't mean you can get on one.
Your car will list charging stations and how many are open. Get in line!

Musk did it right from the beginning; he started with the charging network.
It is gonna have to grow as Tesla sells 1M cars, and more, per year.
What drives me crazy is why chargers are not universal.
Full disclosure, I have only used the Super Charger a couple of times, and only to check it out.
We don't use the car for longer trips. Charging at home and/or work is the the way to go.

IMO, the Model 3 is by far the best EV you can buy.
I wish the VW EV well; Tesla needs some competition, as I fully expect to buy another one day.

 

[UncleDave]

Superchargers aren't free, but they are good deal comparatively.

With E/A once you actually get to one - you might as well be pumping gasoline from a cost perspective- it might even be a worse value on a per mile basis compared to an ICE vehicle.

UD

 

[pezzy84]

Superchargers aren't free, but they are good deal comparatively.

With E/A once you actually get to one - you might as well be pumping gasoline from a cost perspective- it might even be a worse value on a per mile basis compared to an ICE vehicle.

UD

View attachment 30054

There is something very wrong with the math above or its old data. Even Tesla own calculator (it does not have the Model Y yet) shows a 200 mile charge on a Model X would run ~$18.

For example the closest EA station to me is .16/minute for up to 90KWH and .32/minute for 91-150KWH. According to Audi USA both the e-tron Sportback and SUV can go 0%-80% at 150KWH in "about 30 minutes". Let's say 30 minutes flat that works out to about $9.60, lets float that to 35 mins and it would be $11.20.

 

[UncleDave]

This guys data is from May.
Im always interested to look at 3rd party data.

 

[UncleDave]

In cal its pretty brutal

 

[pezzy84]

Holy crap - yeah I perused the Electrify America map and CA folks get ripped a new one to say the least. For my little 24KWH e-Golf it would be about $8 to charge to full (it only takes ~19 KWH from nearly 0) to go ~80 miles, not sure what gas is around there but seems cost would be about = if you got a high mileage commuter like a Corolla/Civic/Elantra.

Well that is if you are DC fast charging all the time - I imagine most folks would be L1 or L2 charging at home or at work at cheaper stations.

 

[Nick1994]

I'm glad VW is getting into the electric game, they definitely need more competition.

But I'm sick of these CUVs! Plus, this thing looks like a Mr. Potato-Head.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Holy crap - yeah I perused the Electrify America map and CA folks get ripped a new one to say the least. For my little 24KWH e-Golf it would be about $8 to charge to full (it only takes ~19 KWH from nearly 0) to go ~80 miles, not sure what gas is around there but seems cost would be about = if you got a high mileage commuter like a Corolla/Civic/Elantra.

Well that is if you are DC fast charging all the time - I imagine most folks would be L1 or L2 charging at home or at work at cheaper stations.

In my neighborhood, rag is $3.09 to $3.69 per gallon. Costco is probably $2.90, but is 10 miles away.
When I pay under $3 at Costco to full our Tundra, I have a big smile on my face.
CA has high energy costs. That, and going green, is why I got solar panels. Cuz I'm cheap.

I pay next to nothing to charge the Model 3. We should use it more, so that I hit the solar project cost break even point sooner.
I have never done it, but I hear it is about $10 - $12 to fully charge (if you are very low) at a Super Charger and takes about 70 to 90 minutes.

Remember, electricity cost ain't going down anytime soon...

 

[wdn]

There are 400 Electrify America stations in the United States and there are 111,000 gas stations. Even with real cars when you are running on E and desperately searching for a gas station, people still run out of gas. That seems a near certainty with the new VW. Maybe they should offer three years of free AAA towing.

 

[wdn]

I can carry a 2 minutes for 200 miles refueling option right in the car. It’s a 5 gallon jerry can.